Overcoming the cashless gaming problem for UK AWPs is a subject dear to the British industry as current law prevents anything but coins to be used directly into machines in order to play them.
At the ACOS trade show next week (October 1-2) a solution will be available. A joint venture between trade association BACTA and payments specialist Polar Moment has resulted in a new device to be exhibited on the stand of the newly-formed Game Payment Technology.
A fully-operational digital wallet has been developed with an app in the final testing stages that should be completed by the end of October.
Said association vice-president Greg Wood: “Banking and compliance is a big area. Not only have we taken into account the social responsibility requirements of the Gambling Commission but also the compliance requirements of the Financial Conduct Authority, payment processors and the banks, all of whom require us to pass compliance testing and ensure that we have the correct processes in place.”
BACTA has had a Cashless Committee in place for two years and operator Wood is a member of that committee that worked with other industry sectors to overcome the growing problem.
A fully operational app should be available initially to the pub market and the specification will be circulated among all manufacturers.
He said that the demonstration at ACOS next week will show how a greater degree of control than cash alone will be delivered, enabling a better social responsibility characteristic. “For example the app will have a default weekly deposit time that will take 24 hours to change. We will also have a cooling off option that will allow the player to restrict their gaming access through the app.”
It will be available on the Game Payment Technology stand and GPT enabled machines will be on the Reflex stand.
“Our message to the industry is that this solution is not designed to be a replacement for cash, but is to facilitate the consumers hwo would rather play by means other than cash.”
Image: Bacta vice-president, Greg Wood.
